Jury ends Day 2 of deliberating in Ohio Amish case

Jury ends Day 2 of deliberating in Ohio Amish case Created by on 9/15/2012 8:50:53 AM

Jurors have ended a second day of deliberations without a verdict in the trial of 16 people accused of hate crimes in hair- and beard-cutting attacks against their fellow Amish in Ohio.

The jury started deliberations Thursday morning and will now take the weekend off before resuming next Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Cleveland.

The members of a breakaway Amish settlement are accused of hate crimes in what federal prosecutors say were attacks motivated by religious differences. They say the defendants cut off Amish men's beards and women's hair because the hair carries spiritual significance in their faith.

Defense attorneys acknowledge that the hair-cuttings took place but contend that prosecutors are overreaching by calling them hate crimes.